Britain to investigate WikiLeaks abuse claims

The British government has promised to investigate allegations of detainee mistreatment during the Iraq war.

A spokesman for prime minister David Cameron says there is no place for the mistreatment of detainees, and any allegations will be investigated.

The statement follows the release by whistleblower WikiLeaks of more than 400,000 classified US army documents, some detailing the abuse of civilians by Iraqi security forces.

Mr Cameron's deputy, Nick Clegg, is also supporting an investigation, and says anything that suggests that torture has been condoned needs to be looked at.

Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is calling on Washington to probe possible crimes against humanity in Iraq.